


Nightmare on Memory Lane

by prettyboydotexe



Series: Sun Angels [7]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Gen, Let Nico Live 2k17, Light Angst, M/M, Nightmares, Salty Demigods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 08:04:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12104325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyboydotexe/pseuds/prettyboydotexe
Summary: 'You're not good enough,' the voices whispered. 'You never were.'





	Nightmare on Memory Lane

**Author's Note:**

> Half beta'd by @SlusherM_221B, as usual. I love you, bby

It wasn’t often that Nico took quests anymore, being eighteen and well past the life expectancy for demigods, let alone a child of the Big Three, Chiron felt like it would be pushing his luck. They had a fantastic run this generation, he said, with Percy living in New Rome full time, Thalia being technically immortal, Jason finishing up his latest round of shrines to forgotten gods, and Hazel swiftly climbing the ranks of the Roman Legion. He wanted to keep it going as long as he could, and heartily insisted they all take it as easy as possible without slipping in their training.

It didn’t stop them from being ‘thrill seekers’, as Will liked to call it. Jason and Percy still went galloping through the forest whenever they were around, hunting monsters and occasionally participating in Capture the Flag when they could. Thalia was somewhere in the mountains of North Carolina these days, doing whatever it was the Hunters did. Hazel still did her Legionnaire duties (being the praetor’s girlfriend didn’t mean she got off easy, after all), and Nico still made routine visits to the Underworld.

His trips weren’t quests, but that didn’t stop monsters from trying to jump him at every opportunity. The journey home always left him exhausted, his energy sapped away by the process of shadow jumping half way across the country in one go (only halfway, because any farther than that and Will would have his head on a pike). It was just past midnight when he arrived, too late to tell any of his friends that he was back, so he went to his cabin and fell into a dead sleep.

 

 

_ Cloying smoke. Shrieks of pain. Rivers of fire, molten liquid searing his throat as it healed him. Inescapable pain, then nothingness. The jar, breathless sleep. Whispers of abandonment. Claws. So much blood, oozing, pooling blood. It was everywhere, draining out of him, surrounding him, drowning him. Blinding pain, dying. _

_ You’re not good enough,  _ the voices whisper.  _ You never were. _

 

 

Nico woke up cold, his hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly until the tightness in his chest dissipated. They were just dreams, he had them all the time. They were just dreams, not reality, not anymore.

He showered, scrubbing his arms until the scars spiraling down them turned angry and pink. He felt the inky remnants of the dream rush down the drain with the water dripping off him. By the time he stepped out, he felt normal again. After all, the voices in his dreams had never once told him the truth.

_ Something feels… different.  _ Nico thought as he walked through camp, there were no background noises, no clashing of swords in the distance, no birds flitting through the branches over the path to the pavilion.

He heard shouting the closer he got to the other cabins, but not the normal shouting heard around camp, angry shouting. Trying to start a fight shouting. He picked up the pace.

“Fuck off!”

“No,  _ you  _ fuck off!”

The Stoll brothers stood in front of their cabin, arms locked and noses inches apart. Neither was making any move to ‘fuck off’.

“I’m sick of you always taking my shit!”

“We’re bunk mates, half of that shit is mine!” Travis shoved off from his brother before angrily charging back in, acting as if he was going to punch him. Nico stepped in before he could, forcibly shoving the two as far apart from one another as he could.

“What the…”

“Di Angelo?”

“What in Hades do you think you’re doing?” he snapped, looking at Travis, then Connor. “What the hell is wrong with you two?”

“He started it!”

“He’s lying! He did!”

“I don’t give two flying shits who started it, cut it the fuck out. For shit’s sake, you’re brothers,” Nico snarled, shoving the two apart again when they moved forward. He put more strength into it than probably necessary, and the two landed on their respective asses. “Start acting like it.”

The two brothers sat there, staring at each other stubbornly. Nico hissed out a breath.

“I’m sorry…” Connor muttered, kicking his tennis shoe through the dirt. “I didn’t mean to call you an asshole. I’m just tired.”

“Me, too,” Travis replied, rubbing his temples as if he had a headache. “I didn’t sleep well again last night.”

Nico nodded as the two sons of Hermes stood and put their arms around each other, muttering a threat about knocking their heads together if he caught them trying to punch each other again as he left them.

The pavilion wasn’t much better when he finally arrived. The Ares cabin was in an uproar, the Hecate cabin throwing icy glares their way whenever they got too rowdy, which only seemed to make things worse. The Demeter cabin was absent completely, as was half the Apollo cabin.

None of them looked up as Nico sat down.

“I’m home?” he said, phrasing it more like a question than a statement. Poor Kayla’s head was inches away from collapsing into her bowl of cereal, and Will looked like he was nursing the world’s worst nonalcoholic hangover. “What happened?”

“Dean Michael happened,” Will muttered, practically falling into Nico’s side where he sat. The bags under his eyes rivaled Nico’s own, and the Apollo glow his skin usually carried was almost completely diminished.

“What?” Kayla’s head bobbed, Nico inconspicuously scooted her bowl to the left.

“New camper,” she muttered, dragging an arm up to prop under her cheek. “Son of Phobetor.”

“Asshole,” Will added helpfully, taking a sour sip of his coffee. Will hated coffee.

“God of Nightmares,” Nico nodded, he’d met Phobetor once. He was nice enough, he supposed, for someone who materialized as whatever you feared most. It had been strange talking to a disembodied voice. Apparently, Tartarus as a place was intangible as a fear, so the god couldn’t take its form without physically going there himself, so he had simply just been void. “Nice guy.”

“Yeah, well, his son’s not. Dudes got enough daddy issues to start a magazine subscription. He got here a few days ago, and in a shit mood. We’ve all been having nightmares ever since. Speaking of, why don’t you look like shit?”

Nico just shrugged.

“My dreams were nothing I’m not already used to by now.”

“Ah, Nico, it’s good to see you made it back,” Nico looked up to see Chiron standing behind Kayla. His horse half seemed to shuffle anxiously, even if his human half seemed completely at ease.

“I got in last night.”

“I see, I trust you slept well?”

“No worse than usual.”

“Excellent. If you wouldn’t mind, I might have a small task for you. A favor, if you will. Would you mind stopping by the Big House at your earliest convenience?”

“I’ll stop by after breakfast.”

“Wonderful. Kayla, William,” he nodded and walked off, the two latter demigods hardly acknowledging he’d even been there. Nico sighed, he didn’t like where this was going.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Chiron greeted Nico as he stepped into the living room of the Big House. The centaur had opted for his wheelchair at this point, and now that they were at eye level, Nico could see the swollen veins in his eyes. He looked like death.

“What did you need?” he sat on the arm of an overstuffed arm chair, reclining against the back. He always felt weird being too far inside the Big House, like the spirit of Delphi once trapped inside had warded it against him. 

“I trust you’ve heard of our newest addition by now. Mr. Michael?”

“Kayla might’ve mentioned him. He’s the son of Phobetor?”

“So it seems. He was claimed shortly after the first nightmares began.”

“The first?”

" Yes. They didn’t come all at once, you see. At first, it was just the Hypnos cabin. We didn’t think much of it, with how much the travel amongst dreams, they’re bound to stumble upon something nasty,” Chiron paused for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. “When he was claimed, I’d started to wonder… It’s affecting everyone, I’m afraid. We’re all stretched a bit thin.”

“Everyone…?”

“Even I am not immune to nightmares, Nico, immortal or not.”

“I see.”

“That’s why I’m glad to see it isn’t affecting you, just yet. We’ve all tried, but lack of restorative sleep may drive even the kindest soul to madness, and given the circumstances… I believe he may be able to relate to you.”

“I… see. Alright,” Nico frowned, unsure of how he’d go about doing that, exactly. Maybe Will would have an idea, or Kayla. “I’ll see what I can do, Chiron.”

“Thank you, my boy. Now, off with you. Don’t let me keep you.”

They bid their farewells and Nico left the house, only walking the short distance between it and the attached infirmary. Will should be there by now, starting the day's duties and checking inventory.

He found him there, sitting at his desk at the very back of the infirmary, head buried in his hands and eyes bloodshot.

“Will?”

“Nico! When did you get back?” Will acted stunned, as if he hadn’t seen him at all that day, despite only just seeing him at breakfast.

“Last night… I sat next to you at breakfast.”

“Fuck, did you? Sorry, I’m just a bit tired,” Will smiled tightly, but the warmth never reached his eyes. “Haven’t been sleeping well.”

“I’ve heard. Should you be working today?”

“What?” the blonde’s face went sour, eyebrows furrowed as if Nico had just insulted him.

“It’s empty in here, and you just said you haven’t been sleeping well. Why don’t you go rest a b-”

“Now you listen here, just because I’m a little bit tired doesn’t mean I can’t run my infirmary,” Will interrupted, pointing his finger angrily at Nico’s chest.

“I’m not saying you can’t. I’m saying the nightmares-”

“I’m fine!”

“You’re exhausted.”

“And you aren’t? I know you had nightmares last night, we all did. You’re probably gonna preach to me about not being able to run the infirmary, then waltz right off to go teach some sword class or whatever,” Will huffed, standing now and prodding Nico in the chest with his index finger.

“This isn’t anything new for me. I get nightmares all the time-”

“We can’t all shake our traumas off like some kind of fucked up duck, di Angelo! Some of us have to roll with them and do our jobs anyway.”

“You just said…” Nico started, then sighed, dropping his head in his hands. “Fine, yeah, okay. You’re right. I’m just gonna go.”

Will only sniffed in response, turning his nose up at his boyfriend while returning to his desk. Nico left to go search for Kayla.

 

 

He found Kayla in the pavilion still, head propped up in her hand, eyes half lidded. Talking to her had no effect, nor did waving a hand in front of her face. Nico sighed and asked the nearest coherent camper where he could find Dean Michael.

 

 

The Hypnos cabin was usually a place of peace, all slow-moving energy and an overhanging scent of chamomile that never seemed to dissipate. Now, however, it was cold and dark. Dread seemed to ooze out of the bolted windows, the trees around it bending forward to shroud it in darkness even in the mid-morning sunlight. Nico looked it over, shrugged to himself, and walked up to the front door.

“Anyone home?” he called, knocking hard right on the center of the wooden door. It quivered slightly, but didn’t move. “Hey, kid, I know you’re in there. Open up.”

“What do you want?” the door swung open with a force Nico didn’t expect, and the seasoned demigod had to whip his arm back to prevent himself from knocking his knuckles directly into the kid’s nose. He was a short, spindly thing with dark hair and darker skin. His face was set in a scowl, and his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

“You’re Dean Michael?”

“…Who’s asking?”

“Never mind. I gotta talk to you,” Nico said plainly, shaking his head. “You gonna let me in or…?” the kid only scowled harder, closing the door directly in Nico’s face.

“Fuck off.”

“Alright, plan B,” Nico sighed, stepping right through the manufactured shadows and right into the cabin, reappearing behind Dean, who looked to be locking the door back up. Short trips took little out of him these days, and traveling only a few mere feet was almost unnoticeable. “Seriously, I need to talk to you.”

“What the fuck!” the kid jumped, his shoulders hunching up by his ears. “How the hell did you get in here? You were just…”

“Underworld magic,” the older boy stated blandly, looking around the cabin with distaste. “I get we don’t have a cabin set up for your dad yet, but did you really have to kick your cousins out?” he pinched a heavy curtain between his fingers, then wiped the residual dust off on his jeans.

“Who are you?” Dean glowered, his eyes boring into Nico’s skull like he was trying to read his mind.

“Nico di Angelo, former Ghost King, head of cabin thirteen. Eldest son of Hades, god of the Underworld,” he rattled off his various titles, counting them on his fingers as he went. “Also known in certain circles as ‘death boy’.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“I just walked through the fucking shadows of your front door when you shut the door in my face. Rude, by the way. Not really in the camp spirit.”

Dean looked like he was about to have a meltdown, his hands buried in his shaggy hair, eyes squeezed shut.

“What the fuck, what the  _ fuck _ . What is wrong with you people?”

“What’s wrong with us? You’re the one cursing the camp with a shit sleep schedule for the past week,” Nico snapped, leaning his hip on an abandoned dresser. “My boyfriend just called me a ‘fucked up duck’ because of your little hissy fit, so I’m here to tell you to cut it out.”

“You and your shitty boyfriend can shove it, I don’t give a shit.”

“Big boy words from someone who can’t reach my chin. You kiss your mother with that mouth?”

“Fuck you! She’s dead!” Dean yelled, practically leaping across the cabin entry and into Nico’s personal space, fist aimed like he wanted to land a poorly aimed punch. The taller caught it easily, pulling his arm to the left and yanking it behind its owner.

“So’s mine, but you don’t see me hurting other people over it,” Nico muttered, letting go of the kid suddenly. Dean stumbled but caught himself, already whipping around to try again. “So, tell me about it, what happened?”

“The hell do you care?”

“Or don’t, it’s not really my business,” Nico shrugged, ducking under Dean’s fist to drop onto an unused bed. He folded his hands in his lap, cocking an eyebrow at the boy. He was obviously used to bullying his way through his problems, probably from years of having no other choice. Nico could relate, maybe Chiron had the right idea. “Tell you what, I’ll tell you about mine. If you wanna share after, cool. If not, well,” he trailed off.

Dean stood in the corner of the cabin, having finally figured out that attacking Nico directly probably wouldn’t work. He looked overwhelmed, Nico could feel the negative energy rolling off him in waves.

“I was born in Venice in 1936, lived there for the first couple years of my life with my mom and my sister, Bianca,” he began, the words coming to him much easier than they would have before Gaea. “We moved to the US to avoid the war, but Zeus tried to kill my sister and I for being kids of Hades. Struck the entire hotel with lightning, there wasn’t a whole lot left of it after.”

“Why didn’t you die?” Dean asked quietly, looking less petulant and more pensive.

“My father managed to save us in time. After, he sent us to get bathed in the Lethe before shoving us in the Lotus Hotel for a couple decades. He fished us out just in time to participate in a war, meanwhile we hadn’t aged a day,” Nico spat the last part, still slightly bitter at his father for that particular choice, but what could he have done differently? No matter when he retrieved them, they’d still be two demigods in a world full of things trying to kill them.

“…What war?”

“The Second Titan War, but we’re getting to that. You see, when he took us out of the den, he moved us up to this military school in Maine. That’s where the others found us, and took us here. Mind you, this was only about… eh… eight years ago? That sounds right. I was ten,” Nico rubbed his temples, it was usually around this part he struggled to keep going. He soldiered on, Will always said it was better to talk things out than keep it in, after all. “My sister, she joined the Hunters. They’re an all-girls group lead by Artemis. She makes them passively immortal, but they have to stay maidens forever in return.”

“What do you mean? Passively immortal?” Dean was watching him now with wide eyes, enraptured with every word that left Nico’s mouth.

“They’d never age, or get sick, but they could die in battle. That’s how she went, my sister, I mean. She went on a quest with them and some of the other campers, but… well, she never came back,” the former Ghost King scratched the back of his neck and sniffed, clearing his throat. “She was a hero, saved all of their lives by giving her own to take down Talos. I was going to resurrect her, but…”

“But?”

“She chose rebirth instead. Her soul’s out there somewhere, living again. I have no idea who or where she is, and I probably won’t ever, unless I happen to find her in Elysium when I finally kick the bucket.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah. I’m not done yet, though. That wasn’t even the worst thing, you know? I didn’t take it well. Ran away, threw a giant fit. There’s a massive gouge down the middle of the pavilion to prove it,” the older teen chuckled, slightly embarrassed about it now. “Summoned a whole slew of undead soldiers, then freaked out when they started attacking people. I ran away, spent a couple years learned from Minos, the Ghost King before me,” Nico’s face darkened. “The Labyrinth is no place for a child.

“That was around the time the War really started to gain traction. I was on the wrong side for a while, but I was too young and stupid and lovesick to notice. Every time I tried to help, I made things worse. I almost got Percy killed several times, I’m still trying to make up for it…”   

“That’s… Percy Jackson, right? I’ve seen him… in people’s dreams, I mean. A lot of them fear his death.”

“For good reason, Percy’s the reason we’re still around. He won the first war, and without him, we wouldn’t have won the second, either.”

“He can’t be that important, he’s only like, what? Twenty?”

“The thing about demigods is that we don’t live very long. Percy and me? Will? All the cabin leaders? We’re ancient compared to those before us. We got lucky. I’m getting really long winded, so I’m going to finish with this,” Nico got up, and stood directly in front of Dean. The boy seemed to shrink before him, his shoulders hunching and eyes going wide. “I have been shoved in a jar for weeks on end, left for dead, lead through a maze, and walked through Tartarus alone to find Death. I have seen war, I’ve watched my friends and loved ones die horrible deaths, and I’m not even the only one.”

He put his hands very firmly on Dean’s shoulders, staring him in the eye with the Look Leon had dubbed his ‘creepy grin’.

“Every single person over the age of fourteen in this camp has lived through, not one, but two terrible, world shattering wars. The nightmares we have? They aren’t some run of the mill spiders-and-snakes bullshit, kid, it’s real horror. What you’re doing? This hissy fit you’re throwing in here, because no one understands you? It’s making them relive  _ all of it. _ ”

“I…”

“Shh, I’m not done,” Nico barked, winced, then lowered his voice again. “That’s another thing, we do understand you. We’re all you. We’ve all lost loved ones, we’ve all been abandoned. The great Percy Jackson had to suffer from an abusive step dad for years just to keep monsters off him. Hazel, my half-sister, literally died because her mother couldn’t see past her greed. Will Solace has watched countless campers,  _ children,  _ die in his arms even though he wasn’t doing everything he could possibly do,” he stopped and took a breath, letting go of Dean’s shoulders.

“We all understand, and it’s okay. You don’t have to be alone. You’re upset, you’re angry, but that’s no excuse for you to make people relive the worst parts of their lives over and over again,” he sat back down and leaned forward, his hands on his knees. “So, now that you know all that… I’m asking you to stop.”

“You’re… asking me?” Dean was a deer in the headlights, crowded back against the wall closest to him. Nico gave him space, he’d probably scared the shit out of him. He was barely a teenager, and Nico was a… death boy.

“Yeah.”

“Not threatening?”

“Do I need to?”

“No! No…. No. You don’t.”

“Then no, I’m not threatening you. I’m asking you, as someone who relates, from one child of the Underworld to another, please stop. The people here have suffered enough,” with that, Nico stood up, wiping invisible dust off his jeans as he did. He unlocked the door, but stopped when Dean’s voice came up from behind him.

“Hey…”

“Hmm?” Nico looked over his shoulder to see him standing now, hands clenched by his sides.

“Why didn’t it work on you?”

“What? The nightmares?”

“…Yeah.”

“I met your dad once, years ago. I never saw him, but we talked. Do you know why?” Dean shook his head. “Your father takes the form of whatever his companion fears most. What I fear… it isn’t tangible. The human mind, even a demigod’s mind, isn’t made to comprehend it. Your dreams couldn’t become fear for me, because what I fear isn’t real. Does that make sense?”

“Not… really…”

“It’ll take more than a couple bad night’s sleep to throw me off,” Nico smirked, and disappeared right through the open doorway. With luck, Dean would think about what Nico told him, and maybe the camp would be able to sleep.

 

 

The nightmares did stop that night, leaving everyone to peaceful (or nonexistent, in Nico’s case) dreams until morning, or rather, early afternoon. Nico was the only one at breakfast the next morning, save for Hestia. Nico spoke with her as he ate, like he tried to do every so often. She was often forgotten, and he could relate to that.

When he went to check on Chiron afterwards, the centaur was sitting on the porch in his wheelchair, head leaned back on a neck pillow, eyes shut lightly against the sun.

“You made progress with young Dean, I see,” he said as Nico approached, not moving from his relaxed position. “That’s good. I was beginning to worry.”

“He just needed to hear something, is all,” Nico replied, taking a seat on one of the rocking chairs. No one else was awake, by the look of it. The lava wall was cool, the pavilion deserted, and even the infirmary had not a soul inside it. The camp seemed serene, in an almost unsettling way.

“I doubt he would have listened, had it come from anyone else.”

“…probably not.”

They sat together until the sun was high and the first campers began to wander out, eyes bleary and sleep still clouding their minds. There wasn’t any shouting, or anything beyond a quiet hum, really. Nico took that as a good sign. As he expected, cabin seven was the first to rise, a very fuzzy looking Will Solace being the first out the door.

Will’s eyes caught him almost immediately, entirely too awake for someone who’d just gotten their first decent night’s sleep in days. He made a beeline for Nico, his gaze never wavering until he stood right in front of the shorter teen. Before Nico could open his mouth to greet him, he was already talking.

“I am so,  _ so _ sorry.”

“Good… morning?”

“I don’t actually think you’re some kind of fucked up duck, you’re a very normal duck, well... you aren’t a duck at all, and… and I’m sorry… Please don’t be mad at me,” the blonde finished, his head hung so low his chin touched his chest.

“Will…” Nico chuckled. “Look at me… I’m not mad, do I look mad?” he made Will tilt his head up by hooking his finger under his chin, smiling slightly through his dark fringe.

“No… You don’t.”

“I’m not mad,” he nodded, brushing Will’s cheek with his thumb. “You were tired, and stressed. I can’t blame you for being irritable. I’ve snapped at you for less, it’s okay. How’re you doing now?”

“Uh… better… I got some sleep last night,” Will scratched the back of his neck with one hand, circling his other arm around Nico’s waist. His eyes were still a little droopy, and the bags under them were a bit darker than usual, but otherwise he looked a lot better. “No dreams.”

“That’s good.”

“You had something to do with that, didn’t you?”

“Possibly…”

“Ah, young Dean, you’ve left your cabin,” Chiron startled them both, Nico pulling Will from the steps and onto the porch by his shirt sleeves.

Dean stood nervously at the foot of the steps, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot and refusing to make eye contact. The plants around him seemed to bend forward.

“Hi…”

“What can I do for you?”

“I was actually hoping to talk to Nico?” he phrased it like a question, only just looking up enough to make eye contact before quickly averting his eyes. “Please.”

Will and Chiron looked to the son of Hades, who only blinked in response.

“Sure, what’d you need?”

“I… thought about what you said, yesterday…” Dean started, looking uncomfortable by the stares of people around him. “You were right… It’s not fair of me to push my problems onto other people.”

“I’m glad you’ve understood that, but that wasn’t entirely my point,” Nico frowned, stepping away from his boyfriend to sit on the porch in front of Dean. “It’s okay to share your problems, there are plenty of people around here that would  _ love  _ to help you with them. I just meant that you shouldn’t punish them because you’re suffering.”

“Right, that’s what I meant,” Dean nodded eagerly, looking at Nico through the dark hair hanging in front of his eyes. His ebony skin seemed to absorb the light around him, making him into a little shadow in the afternoon sun. “But, um…I wanted to ask…”

“Yes?”

“Will you teach me how to use my powers?” Dean’s entire face lit up like a Christmas tree, hands clasped together in front of him. “Your powers are so cool! Summoning the dead, teleporting through shadows! You’re like a… like a wizard or something!”       

Nico was taken aback by the kid’s sudden outburst, his eyebrows getting lost in his hairline. Behind him, Will poorly disguised a snort of laughter as a cough.

“I…”

“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Chiron interjected, rolling over to sit beside Nico. He looked between the two with a knowing smile. Nico hated that smile. “As the current heir of the Underworld, Nico would be the ideal teacher for you, Mr. Michael.”

“I have to agree, death boy,” Will snickered, hugging his boyfriend from behind and setting his chin on his shoulder. “No one knows his way around a graveyard like you do.”

“That has nothing to do with his powers!” Nico objected.

“But you are skilled in dream travel, yes? I seem to remember Percy mentioning you warning him through a dream… The line separating sleep and death is a thin one, Mr. di Angelo, you of all people should know that. Besides, you’re the only one of us proven to be unaffected by Dean’s nightmares.”

“You’re right,” the demigod sighed. Of course, he was, when wasn’t Chiron right? “Yeah, sure, I’ll teach you what I can.”

“Really? Thank you!” Dean shot forward and threw his arms around Nico, squeezing him tightly enough to make him wheeze for a second. For such a scrawny kid, he had a set of arms on him. “You won’t regret it!”

“I’m sure…” Nico muttered as Dean buzzed off in the direction of Hypnos cabin to do who knows what. Will snickered in his ear. “Fuck off, Solace…”

“What? It’s cute!” the head healer laughed, pulling the grumpy demigod into his chest. “He’s like a little you, all broody and dark,” he kissed Nico’s forehead, then frowned suddenly. “Chiron said his nightmares didn’t affect you… Nico, are you still having nightmares?”

Will’s forehead had down the wrinkling thing it did when he worried, the frown between his eyebrows mimicking the one he wore on his lips. Nico hated when he frowned, even though it was adorable, especially when he was the reason for his boyfriend’s upset.

“Sometimes,” he conceded, deciding honesty was the best policy, in this case. “But not as often. I know they’re just dreams, Will, but they’ll never go away. Usually, I just don’t dream period, and I’m happy with that.”

“Alright,” the frown disappeared from Will’s face, replaced now with his familiar, lopsided grin. “You’ll tell me if they get bad again… right?”

“Of course, sunshine.”

The bright red flush and subsequent smile that lit up across Will’s cheeks, highlighting each and every freckle he had was worth the embarrassment of letting the term of endearment slip in front of their teacher.

That night, as Nico and Will crawled into bed for their usual Friday night sleepover/Disney catch-up session, Nico couldn’t help but smile to himself. There he lay, alive, happy, and holding his loving boyfriend close to him in the only place he’d ever been able to call home. Nightmares or dreamless nights, asleep or awake, he’d be just fine.

 

Eat your heart out, Eros. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Have a request?   
> Find me on tumblr @prettyboydotexe


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